Protector for suede shoes



April 27, 1937. M PAL ER 2,078,732

PROTECTOR FOR SUEDE SHOES Filed March 14, 1936 fiwen Z07.

I JEZZyOJ/XL atentefl Apr. 27, 1937 STATES PATENT OFFICE.

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a protector for shoes having a nap, and, moreparticularly, to a protector for suede shoes adapted to be worn under agalosh, or the like.

One feature of this invention is that it pre vents the injurious eflectson a shoe having a nap, such as a suede shoe, resulting from wearing agalosh thereover.

Another feature of this invention is that the protector adheres firmlyto the nap of such a shoe and facilitates removal of a galosh therefrom.

Other features and advantages will be apparent from the followingspecification and the drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation ofa shoe having the protector in place thereon; Fig. 2 is a side view ofsaid protector removed from the shoe and substantially flattened ,out;and Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the shoe and protector shown in Fig. 1,with a portion of the protector broken away to show the napped materialbeneath it.

Shoes having a nap have always presented a serious problem when outdoorconditions were wet or otherwise unpleasant. If a suede shoe, forexample, becomes wet, the shoe is practically ruined, since the napcannot be restored to its previous condition, nor can the water marks becompletely removed. A leather shoe of the usual type can, of course, bepolished after a wetting; a suede shoe cannot. On the other hand, ifovershoes are worn over a suede shoe, two problems are presented. Theovershoe tends to wear an the nap of the suede at por-.

tions of the shoe where friction results between the galosh and the shoewhen walking, more particularly over the toe and vamp. Moreover, suedehas a tendency, because of its nap, to stick to the overshoes and thusmake them diflicult to remove, sometimes bringing the entire shoe offthe foot in the process. The wearing effect of galoshes on the nap ofthe shoe is well known to the shoe trade and to women in general, butheretofore no means have been provided to prevent such wear. The tradehas, instead, acquiesced in such wear and has attempted to restore thenap afterwards, the most frequent way being by the use of a steelbristled brush on the shoe.

The present invention comprises forming a protector of resilient fabricand shaping it to conform to the contours of the shoe. The protector isdrawn over the suede shoe prior to the placing of the galosh thereoverand forms a protecting layer adhering to the nap of the suede, so thatany friction which may result from walking takes place between the outersurface of the protector and the inner surface of the galosh, theprotector always remaining in place on the suede shoe without shifting.The outer surface of the protector is relatively smooth, having littleor no tendency to stick to the rubber or lining of the usual galosh and,therefore, removal of the galosh is greatly facilitated.

In the particular embodiment of this in-. vention illustrated herewith,the reference numeral I indicate:- a pump or shoe having a suede upperportion, with a heel Ii. A protector ll of a resilient material is soshaped as to conform, with a slight stretch, to the major portion ofsaid shoe. It is provided with a body portion l3, an enlarged toeportion l4, and a back portion IS. The body of the fabric has twoopenings therethrough, an elongated opening I6 in the upper part thereofand a smaller opening I! in the lower part thereof adapted to permit theheel H to project therethrough. The toe portion I4 is enlarged somewhatwith respect to the remainder of the fabric body and is designed tocompletely cover the toe and vamp portion of the shoe ID. The backportion I5 is formed forwardly in the upper part thereof, so that theperiphery of the opening I6 is slightly smaller, when in unstretchedposition, than the periphery of the corresponding opening IS in the shoeH]. The fabric of the protector I2 is thus placed under a certain amountof tension when in position, which increases the effectiveness of thenap in holding the protector in position on the shoe.

The protector is of a resilient fabric preferably knitted with astocking type of stitch and formed to the desired shape. It may beknitted of any common thread, but it has been found that a fabric havingall or a large proportion thereof of cotton gives the best results. Aprotector of the type described, comprising a fabric with a large cottoncontent knitted to be somewhat resilient, locks itself on the nap of theshoe, and stays in position even when the galosh is drawn on or removedfrom the protector-enveloped shoe. The cotton and the nap of the suedeseem to form a combination locking the protector in place.

The protector performs a function which is not met by the usual clothlining within a galosh. Since the lining is a part of the galosh, anyfriction which exists between surfaces exists between the outer surfaceof the suede and the inner surface of the lining of the galosh',resulting in the undesirable wearing on the suede. This wearing is veryrapid, and two or three occasions on which galoshes are worn cancompletely ruin 5 a pair of suede shoes. With the protector adhering tothe surface of the suede, however, the friction which is inevitableexists between the outer surface of the protector and the galosh. andthe locking action of the protectoron the surface of the suede preventsany movement therebetween. It has been found that this looking action isimproved if the protector is so designed that its resilient fabric isunder slight tension when in place on the shoe. If desired, a lightelastic may also be used around the periphery of the upper opening.

The functions of the protector are particularly important with a suedeshoe, as described above. The advantageous results are equally secured,however, in connection with any shoe having a body portion of materialwith a nap. Thus, the invention may be used to advantage, for example,with evening slippers, either entirely composed of velvet or moire, orhaving ribbed portions of similar material. These latter-named materialsare, of course, the equivalents of suede in that they have a nap on theouter surface thereof, particularly subject to wear. The protector maylikewise be used advantageously with rubbers, overshoes, or any otherequivalent of galoshes.

The fabric of which the protector is composed must have some resilience,and it has been found that the usual stocking type of stitch, machineknitted, provides just about the desired amount of resilience. Inaddition, fabric knit in this way has ridges and loop portions whichcooperate with the fibres of the nap better than ordinary wovenmaterial, the nap fibres projecting into the spaces between ribs andinto the centers of the loops and locking the protector in place on theouter surface of the shoe. This is an important feature, since in orderto be practical the protector, when once drawn on, must remain in placewithout shifting when the galosh is drawn onto or removed from the shoe.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness ofunderstanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly aspermissible, in view of the prior art.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

In combination with a suede shoe provided with a nap, a resilient fabricbody shaped to fit the contour of the major portion of said shoe, thebody being provided with an upper opening and a lower heel opening, saidfabric being interlocked with said nap whereby it adheres to said shoeagainst removal when the galosh is drawn on or removed from said shoe.

MARIE (i. PALMER.

